Skills
by Heather Giesbrecht
Summary: Provoke ? He'd done no such thing, they were compliments. It was the Midgardian who had taken his words as an insult. Loki/Thor. Complete.


**Skills**

Loki glared at the red-haired man as his jaw worked in annoyance. _'This insignificant little thing thinks that I am going to kneel for my food ? Not in this lifetime or any other, bitch.'_

Of course, his reply was pleasant enough on the surface, however the tension had finally built-up enough. "Yes, I can see why Fury would send you to feed the prisoner. You are after all so very compassionate, loyal, truthful, everything that I should be. I would give a standing ovation but, well, I do happen to be chained at the moment thus it would make too much noise." The manacles and shackles interconnected by their chains rattled slightly as he raised his bound hands.

Agent Harris snarled, "Coulson didn't deserve to die !" before the bowl smashed in his face.

He blinked a grain of rice from his right-eye and called cheerily, "Do come and visit again won't you ?" as the man turned to stomp toward the door.

Both of Harris's middle fingers rose, "Fuck you, you stupid, pretty, asshole."

 _'_ _Ah, the joy of friends, how I missed you.'_

Laughter burst from his lips, "What skill you have, Harris, utterly astounding. Truly this is the pinnacle of Midgardian manners."

Thor walked into the beige-walled but windowless room with another blue ceramic bowl and spoon in his grasp. Harris startled at Thor's sudden appearance and narrowly avoided crashing into the blond.

With a disapproving glance, Thor strode up to chasten, "Loki, why did you provoke him ?"

One vigorous head shake was enough to dislodge a few pieces of chicken and rice from his hair. Utterly innocent he scratched his left ankle with his right foot before he answered, "Provoke, Thor ? You could hear that I did no such thing. I merely gave him a few compliments. It is not my fault that he took offence by immediately and might I add unfairly associating it with Coul's son."

"You did not mean them as compliments even I know this." Pain crossed Thor's face, "Loki, you needn't have killed Coulson, you could have bound him, let him live."

 _'_ _Ugh, Thor really has become sympathetic to this planet. Just…disgusting, utterly revolting that he should waste it on them when they will die in an eye's blink compared to us.'_

Loki's right forearm itched in the most irritatingly insistent fashion as he replied, "The Midgardian wanted to shoot me and when he had the chance he did, I see not how this is my fault."

Disgust briefly chased the pain from Thor who chose to ignore his words and say instead, "You need to eat."

He raised his right-eyebrow, both because his lips were dry and for the implication he licked them. "What if I do not want food ?" _'Oh, brother, you know you want to take the bait so be good…swallow.'_

Blue-eyes darted while the tanned neck strained so that the jugular vein was clearly visible. "You need food, Loki, you get irritable when you've not eaten for a while."

"In case you've somehow lost your sight I cannot currently feed myself without looking foolish. You know how I hate that, help your little brother just once more if nothing else. Please ?" _'Two good blinks should do it. Yes, there he goes now.'_

Thor sighed and sank to the cream carpeted floor. "This, at least, Mother cannot say that I forced you to do."

After sorting through the chains and, by accident, falling on Thor he ended up sat with his legs curled to the right underneath him. Quite tired he slumped against his brother. Gratefully, he accepted the first spoonful of food with his own sigh of content. Chicken and rice was far better than that disgusting stuff which he'd had to force himself to eat during…no, enough, enough. It had taken the last two days for the taste of gruel to disappear from his mouth and this finally erased the last of it.

 _'_ _Mmm, texture, taste. Oh, I really have missed you, you don't know how much. Never did I think that I would prefer a plain meal without even a drink in sight. At least, back in Asgard no matter what happens to me there will be no gruel whatsoever because Mother will not allow it. She will want to see me though Fa- Odin will do his best to keep us apart.'_

Only a few more bites passed before the door opened again. Stark paraded into the room to stop before them. "Oh, goody, you two are bonding again should I fetch a bottle of Chianti to celebrate ?"

"If you really want to help Stark go and throw yourself from the roof." _'I wish there was another window I could throw you out of and be sure that the bracelet could not save your life.'_

Stark crouched then reached to tilt his chin. "Aw, is poor Loki bitter about getting his ass kicked ?"

In retaliation he lunged forward sinking his teeth into Stark's forearm before Thor, who'd dropped everything, pulled him away.

Moments later the pain registered for Stark causing the black-haired man to clutch the bloody imprint and hiss, "Shit. Now, I have to get checked for crazy and Hannibalitis. I thought you liked me, Loki ?"

He spat the blood onto the floor, "I would like you well enough…dead."

Thor broke in, "Stark, you should leave." When the man had gone his brother continued, "First you kill the Son of Coul and now you bite Stark. What has happened to you ?"

Loki shook his head, licked his teeth of blood and responded, "You would never believe me." _'You don't care Thor not really or you would have come to save me. Just like Odin, you abandoned me when I needed you !'_

Thor pulled him up then said, "I shall arrange safe passage for us."

A smirk made it's way onto his lips, "If I wanted safe passage I would not be with you, would I ?"

"Shut up Loki."

"Who said I was finished ?"

One of the rough hands yanked the connecting chain pulling him around and into a near bruising kiss. His own hands ended up pulling fruitlessly at the breastplate before he just slammed a fist into it. Not the satisfaction he wanted but it would have to suffice as the door, yet again, opened. _'Who the Hel is it now ?'_ Surreptitiously, he caught his breath though his jaw still clenched.

It was Rogers instead of Stark who walked in so that was something. "You two aren't fighting again are you ?"

 _'_ _Norns, someone save me from the idiocy of Midgardians. Apart from ending all their petty wars, I would have made sure they all learned a modicum of common sense, never mind the intelligence that they so sorely need.'_

With a surprisingly casual shrug, Thor replied, "No, we are not. Did you need something ?"

Rogers sounded slightly confused as he said, "Stark's going on about, ah, rabies or something like that. Oh, and Fury wants Loki gone in about an hour and-a-half."

Finally something that he could, how had Barton said it, get behind ? "Well, come on, Thor, we don't want to be late do we ?"

There was a faint growl from Thor, "Now, you are finished." before he found himself being muzzled.

 _'_ _Damn, I forgot about the muzzle.'_

Half irritated he pouted, all Thor did was pat his cheek, grin and guide him out of the room. All he had to do now was go home, do some kind of penitence and everything would return to normal. Suddenly, he couldn't stop grinning as, _'Asgard…I return.'_ drifted through his mind.


End file.
